Outdoor Movie at the Seaport

The other night, Audrey and I went to our first outdoor movie of the summer. I wish we had gone to more earlier in the summer. We ended up having fun, even though our seats weren't great. But it was free, so I can't really complain.

The movie was Audrey's favorite movie ever:

Like a lot of other little girls, Audrey is obsessed. We first saw the movie in theaters and it's the only movie I've taken her to see in the theater that she sat through and paid attention to the entire time. We bought the DVD the day it came out and have watched it countless times since. I have the soundtrack on my iphone, and she knows most of the songs by heart, especially Let It Go. She has Frozen dolls, a tshirt, books, a braclet ... various other paraphenalia. She's tried convincing me to get her various other Frozen items - other toys, sheets, a blanket. At least I have plenty of Birthday/Christmas gift ideas.

Anyway, we got to the Seaport about 45 minutes early but the chairs were already all taken. Fortunately, we had brought a blanket, so at least we could sit on that. It definitely wasn't very comfortable and Audrey had to stand to see, but she still had a blast. The whole "outdoor movie" thing was a new experience and there were tons of kids there, so it became a Frozen sing along. Now I know for next summer that if we plan to go to an outdoor movie we need to make a night out of it - go a couple hours early and just bring dinner and snacks.

How to Ride the Subway

... in a way that won't make people hate you. Hello! Welcome to New York City! Are you visiting our fine city? Have you recently moved here? Have you lived here forever and are just realizing you're kind of an asshole on the subway? Great! Let's get started.

1) DON'T DO THIS! Do you see all those people standing around you? They'd like to hold onto that pole wedged between your buttcheeks. Leaning against the pole is obnoxious. You're the only one standing? Ok, whatever, make all the butt love to that pole you want. Packed train? NO. Stand there and hold the pole with ONE hand, like everyone else, you special little person, you. If you are truly disabled and cannot stand for a long period of time, ask someone to give you a seat. Which brings me to my next point ...

2) If you see someone disabled/pregnant/elderly, and you are an able bodied individual, give up your damn seat. Stop being a lazy prick. I'll be the first to admit that occasionally I am so engrossed in whatever I'm reading I don't notice someone standing nearby that I should have given my seat to until I'm getting up for my stop. But this obviously happens rarely, not everytime I ride the train. Staring off into space and actively ignoring the person struggling to stand there is douchey.

3) Let people off the train before you get on. Don't push past them for a seat, you lazy shmuck. The train isn't going to suddenly pull away with you halfway in the door. You'll have plenty of time to get on. This also includes standing right in front of the door. You think you're doing the right thing by not actively pushing past me to get on the train, but if you're blocking me from actually exiting, you're still an idiot.

4) Yes, train delays suck. But shouting, cursing, kicking the conductor's door if you're in one of those trains is not a solution. I mean, do you think the conductor is doing it on purpose? "Oh that guy has to get to work? Well I guess my smoke break is over!" No. Shut up.

5) Don't leave your crap on the train. It's rude. Someone has to clean it up. When you put your half empty coffee cup on the floor and it spills, I step in it and I'm annoyed. Same goes for wet umbrellas. Hold them. Don't put them on the seat next to you, so that someone gets a wet butt if they unknowingly sit there when you leave.

6) Men, you don't need to spread your legs so wide that you take up two seats. Congratulations, you have balls. Most men do. If they're truly so big you need to do a split, maybe you should see a doctor? Could be elephantitis? Ladies, I get it, I carry a big bag too. iPad, lunch, wallet, umbrella ... but your bag doesn't need its own seat on a crowded train. Put it on your lap.

Congratulations! You have now completed the "How to Ride the Subway Like a Considerate Human Being" course. You've earned a ride on the train! Just go insert $2.50 into the nearest metro card machine to claim your prize.

Lemon Chicken Noodle Soup

This is one of my favorite homemade soups. It's so easy to make, it's filling and one batch lasts for several meals. I love the lemon and the dill together.

I made pot of this on Sunday and we've had it for dinner twice and I had it for lunch with a small salad today. I'm not a fan of celery, but if you like it, you can just buy pre-chopped mirepoix and this recipe gets even easier. Take the chicken off a rotiserrie chicken from the grocery store and you can practically make this in your sleep.
 

 

*Note: I used a full 16 oz of pasta in my soup because I knew I'd be eating it as a meal. As you can see, it's pretty hearty. If being served as an appetizer or with a larger meal, I'd probably stay closer to 8 oz.

Dieting Pie Chart

Story of My Life:

 

HA! from The Oatmeal.

Bits of Our Weekend: American Museum of Natural History

This weekend we took mini-me to the American Museum of Natural History. This is her first "grown-up" museum. We've done The Children's Museum in New York and Charleston, SC, as well as the Children's Museum of Art, and other various interactive places. I figured this would be a good "first." The animals, etc. would keep her interested, even though there wasn't anything to actually play with/climb on. She did enjoy it, but there were periods of waning interest. She liked the animals, particularly the dinosaurs and the whale.
 

She wore her crown headband - but got tired of it eventually. "Mom, can you hold my crown? I don't feel like being a princess anymore."

 

Raaarrrr

 

We Are Star Dust.

 

I told Audrey the story about how her Aunty Sarah was named after a Triceratops* ...

 

... so of course that was her favorite dinosaur, and she chose a Triceratops stuffed animals from the gift shop.

*True Story: When my mom was pregnant with my sister, the doctor told her it was a boy. I felt very strongly that I did NOT want another brother, and decided screw the doctors, this baby is a girl. My favorite movie at the time was Land Before Time, so I told everyone I was getting a sister named Sarah. When the baby was born a girl, I guess my parents figured, well, why not?

We did lunch and umm maybe some gelato at Amorino ... yes, it's the third or fourth time we've been there in 2 weeks. It's so good!

Sunday was an errands and chores around the house day while Audrey spent the afternoon with her father. I finally bought one of those grocery carts after my miserable experience lugging my groceries home a few weeks ago, but didn't bring it, thinking I was only getting a few things. That was a bad call.
 

Lazy Dog is Lazy. Not even our steps.

 

Oh hey, little lady.

We also took Maddy on numerous walks, in an effort to move the potty operation outside, now that's she finally understanding where NOT to go potty, and is also capable of holding it for longer periods of time. I feel like I'm starting all over again, but I know it'll be worth it when the training is done, and she's finally going outside all the time.
 

Um, that's not how walks work, guys ...

30 Days of Good Habits

"They" (Idk who they is and I don't feel like googling so ...) say that it takes 30 days to turn something into a habit. We are going to Florida for a long weekend a month from tomorrow, on September 26. So for the next 30 days, I'm going to work on establishing some healthy habits in my life.

1) Daily Exercise. At the minimum, 10,000 steps a day. I plan to join a gym next week and also get in a few real workouts per week.

2) Vitamins Daily. I take a Multi-Vitamin, Fish Oil, Iron and B3. I'm not very good at remembering to take them. I bought one of those 7 Day pill sorters, which made it easier, but still need to get better at taking them every day.

3) Apple Cider Vinegar. I mix 1-2 tablespoons into a glass of water with about a 1/4 cup of cranberry juice. Delicious, it is not. There are various articles that explain the benefits of ACV. Most say its effects on weight loss are minimal to nonexistant, but it does help with lowering blood sugar. I have PCOS, and Diabetes is a common complication of PCOS. I don't have Diabetes and would like to keep it that way. ACV is also supposed to be good for your skin, hair, etc. I also don't eat breakfast as soon as I wake up. I usually wait till I get to work and eat at my desk. A glass of this concoction helps keep the cravings at bay and deters me from running to the cafeteria for a bagel instead of eating whatever healthy breakfast I packed.

4) Calorie Counting. Yes, calorie counting sucks. No, it isn't a way to live forever. But I want to lose a little more weight, and calorie counting has been the only thing that's ever worked for me. I use the Lose It! app on my phone, which is awesome.

5) Lotion. Ok so, I have kind of dry skin. I'm good about moisturizing my face daily but not so much at the rest of it. I need to get better about putting on lotion as soon as I get out of the shower.

6) Green Tea. There are tons of benefits to drinking green tea. I try to drink a glass shortly after lunch every day, but haven't been great at remembering.

I've picked up a lot of good habits over the years. I mostly drink water now. I have a soda maybe once a month. I've never really liked dark soda (Coke, Pepsi) but I LOVE San Pellegrino, especially the Melograno e Arancia. I do drink coffee every day, 1-2 cups. Otherwise, I'm pretty good at getting in at least 80 ounces of water a day, usually more.

I've also cut out the fake healthy food. The 100 calories packs, the low cal options, diet Snapple - all the stuff pumped with artificial crap. (I know my soda per month is pumped with artificial crap but on a daily basis, I avoid it.) I eat a lot more fruit and veggies than I used to.

So my goal for the next month is to implement the 6 things listed daily, and turn them into lifelong habits, with the exception of #4. Once I've lost the last bit of weight I want to lose, I'll stop calorie counting and just focus on eating healthy and portion control.

Back to School, Back to School

I got my lunch packed up, my boots tied tight, hope I don't get in a fight ...

Audrey and her beloved Fuzzy Bear

CHEEEEESSEEEE!

Audrey went back to preschool yesterday after a two week break. Although she's at the same school, with the same teachers and some of the same kids, it still feels like the start of a new school year. She was excited to be back. As we were walking over, we ran into one of her teachers. Audrey ran over and gave her a big hug, told her a little about her break and held her hand for the rest of the walk. We were one of the first ones to arrive, but one of Audrey's friends came in as I was about to leave. Another big excited hug and then they ran off to play.

Audrey First Day Ever of Preschool in 2013. No, I don't know what I was thinking with that hairstyle.

It helped validate my decision to keep her there. Preschool in New York is expensive. And sometimes crazy. For last year, I really had no choice as far as public vs. private. There is no public preschool for Age 3, but I needed full time childcare. There are government subsidized income-based programs, but I don't qualify for those. I won't send my daughter to some program in someone's basement off Craiglist, so as far as legitimate, certified programs, the one Audrey is in is actually one of the cheapest, not only in my neighborhood, but in any neighborhood I could realistically get her to in the morning, get to work on time, and leave work in time to get her but still put in an 8 hour work day.

Audrey wearing my own First Day of School Dress that my mom had saved all these years

In New York, there is public preschool for children 4 and up. Audrey would be old enough for one of those programs this school year, but chances of getting a spot are slim. You have the best chance of getting into the school you are zoned for, followed by schools in the same district. We are zoned for a great school that has a full day preschool program, but we didn't get a spot. The first priority as far as applications goes to zoned siblings of currently enrolled students. Audrey obviously doesn't have an older sibling, so she is the next priority - students zoned for that school. However, every seat went to siblings. We applied to a couple other schools, but as we fall further down the priority list (in district school that you aren't zoned for, no siblings is priority 4 or 5), the chances of getting a seat decline even farther.

There are community based programs - run independently, but with some certified teachers/credentials. I called about one in our neighborhood but I wasn't thrilled with what I heard. It wasn't totally free - the fee was small though. However, the certified teacher only actually spent a couple hours a day with the kids. Otherwise they were under the supervision of the daycare staff. I prefer the structure of her current preschool. Another huge problem? The hours were only 8:30-3 (Or maybe it was 8-3:30 - either way there was a huge gap between the end of her day and the end of mine). I'd have to hire a babysitter.

Through the course of Audrey's father and I alternating schedules for 2 years, we went through 4 babysitters. The first told us she could no longer babysit the day she was scheduled to work. The next was great, but was a college student, so constantly had schedule changes, inavailability, etc. The third was a high school student, who was pretty reliable but I just wasn't ever comfortable with her. Her even being hired in the first place was the result of my inept ex. She wasn't friendly, didn't seem to do much with Audrey, and fortunately, quit 3 months in. Our last babysitter was amazing. She had some minor inavailability, but it didn't really change from what she told us up front, so it wasn't a problem. She was warm, friendly, awesome with Audrey. She hasn't babysat for us in a while, but we keep in touch and still see her.

So 1 in 4. 1 out of 4 babysitters was everything we needed - reliable, consistent, great with Audrey, and even she eventually had to leave us due to her school schedule, although the timing worked out perfectly because I wasn't sure I'd be able to give her much in hours once Audrey started preschool.

I did the math on what a babysitter for the difference would cost, thought about the stress and possible risk as far as my job when it came to hiring part-time sitters and relying on them, and how happy Audrey was at her current school. I decided to keep her there. As far as breaking it down just into dollars, I save a couple hundred bucks. But the first time a sitter calls out at the last minute, pulls a no show, needs a week off unexpectedly - I know I'd regret it. And it would happen, because I wouldn't be employing a full-time career nanny. I'd be throwing a college student or something some extra cash for a few hours of work a day.



First Day Selfie

Kindergarten starts next year, and with it, after-school programs at school. They aren't free, they probably cost about the same as a babysitter, but they're reliable and consistent. Audrey is so excited about Kindergarten, and honestly, so am I. Like I said, we both love her school now but the combination of much cheaper + still reliable = happy mama.

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Muffins

 

I started making these muffins years ago. The recipe I use is slightly adapted from this Allrecipes one. I don't like nuts in my baked goods so I switched the walnuts for chocolate chips. I also added vanilla and cinnamon for a little more flavor. I decreased the baking time because I found even 30 minutes to be too long. I start checking them around 20 minutes, although it's usually more like 25. Fresh from the oven, cut in half and topped with peanut butter (or cookie butter!) ... yummm.

 

Bits of Our Weekend

This weekend, we went to Pennsylvania. I know it seems like we go there a lot - in the Summer, we do go basically every other weekend. We've been fortunate to have a car at our disposal the past few summers, so we make the most of it. Last summer, my brother brought his car out here for the whole summer. This summer, he had classes that prevented him from being able to deal with street cleaning till the end of July, so he didn't bring it out till then, but we've gone out to Pennsylvania a couple of times already.

Since Audrey's preschool is still closed (resumes tomorrow though! Hallelujah! I love paying a whole month's tuition for half a month of childcare and all but ... ) I took some time off work to make it a long weekend. On Saturday, we went shopping with my mom for canning supplies. Saturday evening, Audrey hung out with my parents and sister while man-friend and I went to see Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Very grown up, sophisticated date night, huh? I was obsessed with TMNT when I was younger, so I had to check out the new one. Not bad, but I prefer the original. Which I happened to find in the $5 DVD bin at Walmart the next day. Score! I haven't had time to watch it yet but I will asap. I think I even still have my Donatello doll somewhere in my parents' basement - should have looked while I was there. I love that my favorite as a little kid was the smart, kinda nerdy one.

On Sunday, we canned tomatoes and jam, and then I made sauce with the fresh tomatoes. More on the canning experience later. Sunday evening we did my stepdad's birthday dinner.

On Monday, manfriend and I took Audrey to a small indoor waterpark. It's part of a campground's amenities, so it's small and doesn't even have a website I could link to. There was a lazy river, a pirate ship structure with small slides and stuff, a little lillypad pool and an outdoor pool. Audrey had a blast, and us adults had fun too. I didn't want to take my phone out and risk the phone+water=disaster part, so I don't have any pictures, unfortunately. The only picture I took that day was outside.

She wore the crown headband, from H&M, all weekend

Audrey and man-friend found a bird nest on the ground, and Audrey was fascinated. She brought it back to Grandma's to show everyone.

I ate a lot this weekend - good food, but a lot of it. Getting back into eating much better today, and looking into joining a new gym.

From the Interwebz

Some links I've either stumbled upon recently or have enjoyed for a while:

Women Listening to Men in Western Art History. This made me LOL.

Looking for Dirty Dancing: The Teenager's Guide to Lake Lure. I too was once obsessed with Dirty Dancing. I was introduced by some teenage babysitters when I was probably too young for the movie, in the 90s. I own the DVD today and will always stop and watch if its on tv. This essay brought back memories of my own childhood love of Baby & Johnny.  

29 Short Stories You Need to Read in Your Twenties. I usually prefer novels, but I have started making my way through these, beginning with the ones available online.

What People Talk About When They Talk About Life in New York. I haven't read Thought Catalog in a while, but this article from almost three years ago is perfect. It's so relatable. The pride in slowly becoming a true New Yorker, the realization that NYC will chew you up and spit you out, the unsettling feeling that maybe this isn't where you belong after all but the reluctance to let go - I've experienced all of these in my almost decade here.  

Living Alone is Hard. I loved this article before I discovered The Office, before I read "Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?", before I even knew who Mindy Kaling is. (I now adore her - how can you not??). I lived alone - truly, totally, alone - pre baby, no pets, no roommate, no boyfriend - for a year in New Jersey. There were some lonely moments but I was busy enough that they were rare. I loved it. I'll never live truly alone again, I'll always have Audrey, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

Blueberry Lavender Honey Jam. I've read Annie's Eats for a long time. It was one of the first food blogs I discovered, and read every day - even back when I was waitressing and wasn't in front of a computer nearly as much as I am now. The blog has heavily influenced my cooking and baking, and Annie herself is inspirational - she beat cancer, is a doctor, has a family and still finds time to make basically everything from scratch - no store bought cupcakes for this chick. Hell, she even makes her own bread and tortilla wraps. And I think I'm busy. Anyway, I'm visiting my parents this weekend and my mom and I plan to try canning some stuff. Originally we were just going to do tomatoes, but this recipe inspired me to plan to try jam also, although I think I'll go with a different fruit combo. Stay tuned.

The Highline

Yesterday after work/daycare, Audrey and I walked over to the Highline and walked around for a bit. It was too nice out to go straight home, and I hadn't been up there in a while. Some pictures ...

Gorgeous graffiti on a building by the Highline

 

Tree branch tunnel

 
 

Playing on some steps

 

"Honey, I twisted through more damn traffic today"

Cotton Candy Munchkin

I love Audrey's outfit today. She's been at the age where she wants to pick her own clothes for a while now. She loves dresses. Her next choice is skirts. She'll do shorts and leggings. She HATES jeans. Even the colored or patterned ones. She will only wear them if there's literally nothing else clean. This aversion to denim developed after I had already purchased her Fall/Winter clothes last year, so unfortunately for her, she was stuck wearing them more than she'd like, cause there was no way I was doing laundry multiple times a week just so she could wear dresses or leggings every day. My mom told me I was the same way. I refused to wear jeans for years, starting at about the same age as Audrey. Funny, because as a teenager it was basically all I wore - I never really wore dresses or skirts.

I learned my lesson while buying her new clothes for the Fall/Winter this year. No jeans at all. She still had a couple pairs from last year that fit her, but her new clothes are all tights to go with her dresses or leggings.

Anyway, she picked out the skirt this morning. I suggested the matching shirt, but she picked the sweater and the shoes entirely on her own. I love the pastels so I had to take a picture this morning.

And of course, a silly one:

 

 

Excuse the dog pee spot on the sidewalk in the background. Oh, New York. 

Fall Shopping List

I feel like I always "need" new clothes. Probably because in my 3.5 years in an office job, my weight has fluctuated too much. Starting at my job coincided with trying the birth control shot for the first time, and the combination of those crazy hormones and adjusting to a job where I was sitting all day caused my weight to increase too much in a short period of time. I've (slowly) lost most of what I gained, but during the in between stages I bought cheap clothes. I refused to invest in quality clothes in a size I didn't want to be for the long haul. But that means a lot of my clothes last a season or two at most. I have a few staples I purchased before I started here that now fit me again from Express, but otherwise, too much of my wardrobe has been low quality.
 
I've put together a list of a few things I want to buy for the fall that are inexpensive but decent quality. H&M, Express, Target, Uniqlo, Ann Taylor Loft - most of these are either inexpensive or moderately priced, and/or offer sales frequently enough that if you hold out for one, you can get your shopping cart at a marked down price.
 

 
1. Blazer, Express. $128 *This is one of those expensive sticker prices but Express is constantly running sales. Right now if you spend $250 or more, you get $125 off. So basically I could get this jacket in two different colors for $128, bringing the cost down.
 
2. Blazer, H&M. $39.95
 
3. Jacket, H&M. $49.95

4. Top, Express. $39.90 *Buy one, get one half off

5. Top, Express. $39.90 *also Buy one, get one half off

6. Top, H&M. $29.95

7. Sweater, Ann Taylor Loft. $59.50

8. Dress, H&M. $49.95

9. Blazer, Target. $34.99

Most of this would be for work, obviously. The sweater from Ann Taylor is a little iffy because it's basically a fancy sweatshirt, but I could probably get away with it on a Friday. There's a clear trend here though - I need more color in my wardrobe. I'm obviously drawn to black/white/dark colors. Bright and floral just doesn't fit my Wednesday Adams personality ...

Tomato Sauce and Reminiscings of Learning to Cook

Tomato Sauce is one of the first things I remember learning to make truly from scratch. I'd made pasta countless times, with jarred sauce and some sauteed chicken. I'd made tons of boxed crap - Ramen noodles, macaroni and cheese, etc. But it didn't feel like truly cooking, but rather like throwing stuff together according to the directions on the back of the box.

I lived with my grandparents for the second half of high school. Upon his retirement, my grandfather grew bored and taught himself to cook watching cooking shows on TV. His spaghetti sauce was something I loved. His included sausage and meatballs and he left it chunky, but he'd strain it for me and I'd devour a huge plate of pasta. When I left for college, my grandparents moved down south so I didn't see them as much, but whenever I visited, my grandfather made his sauce.

For my first couple of years "on my own," I lived in dorms or with (awful) roommates. But my Senior year, I moved into my own apartment, and slowly began stocking up my kitchen. This tomato sauce was always a work in progress. I took the basics from my memories of my grandfather's sauce, and added different things with each new attempt. I puree my sauce with an immersion blender, and I have a different recipe for meatballs, but I love my sauce as much as I love my grandfather's. 

My love of cooking and baking eventually grew and I learned to make a lot more than sauce. I cooked a lot when Audrey's father and I were dating. Cooking for someone else is rewarding, when its appreciated. Even if it's not your best cooking, the constructive criticism is helpful. The more I cooked & the better I got at it, the more I liked it.

Cooking and baking are my biggest hobbies, so I plan to share many more recipes - my own or ones from elsewhere that I enjoy. But I thought starting with the basics, and one of my first successes, is fitting.

Tomato Sauce

Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Cans Whole San Marzano Tomatoes*
1 Can Tomato Paste
1 Large Yellow Onion
1 Bell Pepper (I usually use red**)
4-5 cloves of garlic
Crushed red pepper to taste, start with about 1/4 tsp.
3-4 bay leaves
1-2 T Oregano
1-2 T Basil, or a large handful of fresh torn basil leaves
1/4-1/2 Dry Red Wine
2 T Butter
1/4 Cup Grated Parm or Romano
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 T Sugar

Clearly there's a trend here - this recipe isn't an exact science, and it's very customizable. Omit the butter and cheese if you don't eat dairy. Add in more veggies - carrots, mushrooms, etc. Leave out the wine if you don't have it.

1. Dice all the veggies. Coat the bottom of the pot with olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the onions and peppers. Cook till softened. Add the garlic and the crushed red pepper and cook for another minute or two.

2. Add the canned tomatoes and the paste. With a potato masher, break up the whole tomatoes a bit.*** Add the oregano, basil, red wine, butter, cheese, salt, and sugar. Stir and add the bay leaves.

3. Allow to simmer for at least 30 minutes. I usually let mine simmer for more like an hour or two. Taste and adjust as necessary.

4. Once you're satisfied with how your sauce tastes, remove the bay leaves and blend, either in a blender (with a towel covering the hole up top to let the heat escape but keep in the mess) or with an immersion blender. Serve immediately, or let cool and then store in jars to refrigerate or freeze.

*You can also use your own canned tomatoes - something I plan on doing later this summer. Or, you can roast fresh tomatoes by washing, halving, seeding, coating in EVOO & S+P and putting skin up on a baking tray in the oven. Obviously, fresh is best but as long as you're using quality canned tomatoes, it isn't a huge enough difference to be worth the extra time/expense, in my opinion.
**Red peppers are just fully ripened green peppers. They are the sweetest, with green being a bit bitter and orange and yellow peppers in between in sweetness.
***Why use whole tomatoes if you're just going to break them up anyway? Whole tomatoes are usually the best tomatoes from a crop. The bruised ones are what is used for diced tomatoes.

I learned a lot about cooking and making it up as I go with this recipe. Such as the tidbit about whole vs. diced tomatoes, the difference between green and red peppers, and why a little sugar is necessary (it cuts the acidity of the tomatoes). There's a science to cooking and baking, and it's been fun learning along the way.

Bits of Our Weekend: New Parks, New Food, Build-A-Bear

This little guy was just chillin at the park.

We spent this weekend in the city. We didn't have much planned, the only thing scheduled was a vet appointment for Maddie Saturday morning. She needed her third distemper shot and first rabies. I didn't realize puppies need SO MANY vaccinations. She needs to go back in 3-4 weeks for her last distemper and rabies, and the vet also suggested the lyme vaccination, which is a series of 2 shots, since we plan to take her with us to the Poconos occasionally. I guess it's better to do all of this now though, rather than have a huge vet bill if she gets sick.

After the vet, we headed over the Madison Square Park. One of the things I wanted to do this summer was check out some new places. The park was cute, it had a couple jungle gym/climbing structures with slides, the tunnel, etc., as well as sprinklers and swings.

We took a break for lunch and went to Hill Country Chicken, just a block away. It wasn't anything amazing, but it wasn't bad, and it had been on my To Try list. The basement has seating as well as the Foosball table. Audrey didn't quite grasp the concept, but she tried. :) After lunch, we went back to the park for a while, and on the way home checked out another new place for gelato: Amorino.

Amorino's Flower Shaped Cones

 

Audrey was supposed to spend Sunday with her father, but he texted me Saturday evening to cancel, so we hung out instead. I had planned on going to H&M to get her some fall/winter things, so I just brought her along with me. She had fun because she got to pick her own stuff, which resulted in me spending a little more money than I would have had I gone alone but, that's ok. She was excited about her new stuff. Afterwards, we went to Build a Bear. We had been in a Build a Bear before, but she was younger and not very into it. This time, she was excited. She picked a pink Minnie Mouse bear, helped the girl at the stuffing station stuff the bear, and then picked out clothes for her bear and made a "birth certificate." The bear's name is Ballerina Princess. Ha.





We walked through Bryant Park on the way home, so we went for a ride on Le Carrousel. Getting home was a bit of a trek because we stumbled upon the Dominican Day Parade, so a few of the subway entrances were closed. When we finally got home from our excursion, we were both tired. I cleaned up a little while Audrey played dress up with her new clothes and introduced Ballerina Princess to her other stuffed animals. When we looked at the bear's birth certificate and Audrey found out today was the bear's "birthday," she decided to have a birthday party with Ballerina Princess and her other favorite animals. It was very cute.

 

 

Audrey's preschool closes for two weeks every August for classroom maintenance, teacher training, etc. Wednesday of last week was her last day. So far, she's spent a couple days at daycare, so one day after work/daycare, we went to a park near my job, one she hadn't been to before. There was a big pirate ship climbing structure, sprinklers, slides, a big sandbox, etc. She had a lot of fun. I'm glad we've been able to check out new places this summer. Without our own backyard, we kind of have to make NYC our play space, so variety keeps things fun.

 

 

She also likes my boss's office - he has a sweet view of the Statue of Liberty and some nice binoculars. He wasn't here the other day and I brought her up to say hi to some coworkers, and she asked if she could look out his window - shhh don't tell :)

 



 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

On Learning New Things

Last summer, I learned how to drive a manual car. My brother was staying with me last summer, and he had a car he offered to bring to the city and share, but it was manual, and I didn't know how to drive it.

My mother had tried to teach me when I was 14 or so (just driving around the neighborhood). I think I made it a few hundred feet before I gave up. My stepfather tried again five or so years later. Again, didn't make it very far. This time around, my boyfriend was the one to teach me. I wanted to give up, to be honest, but I really wanted use of a car for the summer, so I stuck it out, and after a couple hours, had grasped the basics. My second lesson was with my brother, in the city, in the car I would be driving.

My brother's car is um ... interesting? It's a 1994 Accord. My boyfriend's was a 1995 (Turbo Charged? Super Charged? I don't know these things) BMW M3. Not the easiest things to learn on. After that second lesson, I was on my own. Thankfully, the car was well maintained and runs well, so I didn't have any problems with the car itself but learning was definitely an experience. I obviously drove on my own, without Audrey in the car, for a while till I felt I had the hang on it. My first time driving after those two lessons was from NYC to Pennsylvania. Yea. No quick little trips around the neighborhood or town.  I just went for it.

Since I was only driving on weekends, it took some time to get used to it. After the first weekend, I felt comfortable enough driving with Audrey in the car (I had been driving for ten years by that point, so it's not like I was a new driver all together). I still stalled sometimes though, so when I got to the point where I wasn't stalling when I went from sitting still to first gear, Audrey would clap and cheer me on from the back seat. Seriously, the first time I was able to start driving without a hitch Audrey's reaction was clapping and "Yay, great job Mommy!" Thanks, kid.

Last summer, Audrey got a new bike and a helmet. For the first couple weeks she wore the helmet all the time. I sent this picture to my family and everyone's response was that she was wearing it to protect herself from my driving in the manual car ... funny.

I didn't drive much in the fall and winter months because my brother had to bring the car back to our parents' house when school started again, but this summer, I'm totally comfortable driving stick. I think I still prefer automatic, but I'm really glad I learned how to drive manual. It definitely teaches you a little more about how a car works, and is a useful skill to have. I wish I had learned a decade ago.

Learning this new skill made me want to learn more new stuff. A weird fact about me: I never learned to ride a bike as a kid. Seriously. Like my early lessons at driving stick, I gave up too quickly because it didn't seem like a necessity. Most of my friends either lived close enough to walk or too far even for a bike ride. There wasn't much of an in between, and as I got older it just got more embarassing to do lessons outside, so I never looked back. Now I think I'd like to learn, especially as Audrey gets older and will soon be riding more than tricycles. Plus, it'd be great exercise.

There are other hobbies I'd like to take up as well. I'd love to learn to knit. I'd like to get better with computer related stuff - coding, website design, etc. I took 5 semesters of Italian in college and got pretty good at speaking it, but lost most of it in the years since, so I'd like to start studying that again. Maybe I should make one of the 101 in 1001 lists ...

WHAT-ever

 

Apparently my daughter is channeling Cher Horowitz, because her new phrase is "WHAT-ever." I don't know where she got this. She started saying it a week or so ago, not often, just in response to little things she didn't want to do but had to anyway.

"Audrey, come here so I can brush your hair."
"WHAT-ever."
*Comes and stands in front of me*

"Audrey, please put away your toys, it's almost bedtime."
"WHAT-ever."
*Puts away toys*

She still does what I tell her so I let it slide the first few times but I guess I should nip this in the bud before she thinks this is an appropriate response.

She's also big on apologizing lately, which seems great right? Except she will apologize for something she did wrong but then expect an apology for being corrected.

"Mama, I'm sorry for slamming my door last night."
"Thank you for apologizing Audrey."
"Now you apologize to me for getting mad at me."
"No Audrey, I won't apologize for correcting you, but I'm not mad any more."
"Mommy, I need you to apologize. I'm going to count to 5." *counts to 5*
Sigh.